The PhD students of the month

November 2022

Marzia Faedda (35th cycle)

Hello everyone,

my name is Marzia and I work with the FAM group in Trento. I strongly believe in the mission of scientific research to address the contemporary challenges of our world, as nowadays are sustainability and climate change. This led me to deepen my knowledge on renewable energies, molecular and solid state physics. Today, I’m a PhD student in the European program PIONEER, between the AGH University in Krakow and the University of Trento. My goal is to “recycle” greenhouse gases, such as CO2 and methane, by combining electrical discharges (aka cold plasmas) and solid catalysts. Our final goal is to prevent these exhaust gases from reaching the atmosphere and, instead, to convert them into more valuable chemicals, such as synthetic fuels.

In my spare time, you can find me experimenting in the kitchen with new plant-based recipes and hanging out at feminist events!

Giovanni Donati (35th cycle)

Hello everyone,
I’m Giovanni Donati, a PhD student in cotutelle between the University of the Balearic Islands and
the University of Trento, at the Nanolab group. My research interest sees the brain as main
character. I have been lucky to link this interest with neuromorphic photonics since already the
master thesis, and now with the PhD. I’m studying how to exploit the properties of silicon microring
resonators in this context. In my free time I like to play outdoor activities such as hiking and cycling
around Trentino mountains, and explore new places.